US strikes alleged drug boat in Pacific, killing 2

The attack represents the first known strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat since the US military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

The United States military on Friday struck another boat it suspected of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing two people, the US Southern Command said.

The attack represents the first known strike by the administration since US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the US Southern Command, or SOUTHCOM, said.

SOUTHCOM's post on X included a clip of a multi-engined boat being smashed by an explosion. The footage showed three people on the vessel before the strike.  

Two people were killed and one survived, SOUTHCOM said, adding it "immediately" notified the US Coast Guard to search for the survivor.

First boat strike since US special forces captured Maduro

With this, the tally of known strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in South American waters stands at 36. Since early September 2025, the US military has killed at least 117 people in boat strikes.

The last reported boat strikes occurred in late December, when the military said it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard. Days later, the Coast Guard suspended its search.

On January 3, US special forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a daring raid in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Both Maduro and his wife were then flown to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar